Railroad News

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On Oct. 29, Regional Rail LLC announced it had agreed to acquire Pinsly Railroad Co.’s Florida operations totaling 208 miles of track.

Imports at the nation's major retail container ports are expected to log their final surge of 2019 this month ahead of new tariffs set to take effect in December, the National Retail Federation (NRF) officials announced late last week.

NRF will host a news conference tomorrow where officials from the Port of Los Angeles and other groups will discuss the impact of the trade war.

Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) last month received an award from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for excellence in environmental documentation for the West Lake Corridor project in Northwest Indiana. 

The documents were part of a submission to establish a proposed $933 million, 8-mile southern branch extension from the existing South Shore Line station in Hammond to Dyer, Indiana.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) last week appointed Terri Rumph as chief track officer to lead the agency’s track division.

Rumph is responsible for maintenance and construction activity across all 800 miles of track, as well as ongoing efforts to improve the agency’s track inspection process.

Metra's board last week approved a 2020 budget of $827.4 million in operating costs and $480.5 million in capital expenses.

The Chicago commuter railroad's capital spending plan — significantly bolstered by Illinois' new state capital program — includes $331.1 million in investments in locomotives and rail cars, stations, bridges and yards.

The Spokane International Airport Board in Washington will receive an $11.3 million federal grant for a project to develop vacant land into a freight hub connecting rail and road infrastructure, U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) announced late last week.

The grant will be awarded under the U.S. Department of Transportation's Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development (BUILD) program.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) last week completed California state’s environmental review process for its high-speed rail route between Fresno and Bakersfield.

The authority received a supplemental record of decision and federal approval of its supplemental environmental impact study that evaluates the environmental effects of a 23-mile route between Shafter and Bakersfield in the Central Valley.

Amtrak in fiscal-year 2019 delivered its "best operating performance" in its history, logging 32.5 million passenger trips and $3.3 billion in total operating revenue, railroad officials announced late last week.

In FY2019, which ended Sept. 30, Amtrak set new records for ridership, revenue and financial performance as the railroad continues on its path to break even financially in FY2020, Amtrak officials said in a press release.

The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (NORTA) earlier this week resumed streetcar service on its Riverfront Line, 23 days after service was suspended due to the partial collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel under construction near Canal Street.

Crews were working on the hotel when a portion of the building collapsed, killing three and injuring more than 19 people, local media reported.

Sound Transit will hold two open houses this month to gather public feedback on the upcoming construction of the Link light-rail extension from Angle Lake in SeaTac to the Federal Way Transit Center in Federal Way, Washington.

On Nov. 13 and Nov. 20, Sound Transit officials and representatives from construction contractor Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. will meet with riders to discuss design progress and construction schedules. The agency will also host an online public input opportunity from Nov. 13 to Dec. 12.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) approved construction authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission directing Indiana & Ohio Railway and Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad to make improvements at two grade crossings in Clark and Crawford counties.

Indiana & Ohio was directed to install lights and gates at the North Burnett Road grade crossings in Springfield, Clark County, by Aug. 6, 2020.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont yesterday published his 10-year vision for investing $21 billion in the state’s public transit systems, ports, bridges, roads and railroads. The plan calls for $6.2 billion for rail improvements.

The CT2030 plan would fund procurement of rail cars and locomotives, add capacity on rail lines and create partnerships with telecommunications companies to bring high-speed data service to trains. 

Federal funding secured nearly a decade ago for a state-supported project to build an Amtrak Quad Cities-to-Chicago route has received a multiyear extension, three Democratic U.S. lawmakers representing Illinois announced this week.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has extended $177 million in Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) funding secured in fiscal-year 2010 for a proposed Amtrak route between Chicago and Moline until Dec. 31, 2024, U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos announced Nov. 5 in a jointly issued press release.

Lawmakers representing communities in Illinois and Hawaii earlier this week announced millions in federal grant dollars have been awarded to transportation projects in those states.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded the grants under the Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development (BUILD) program.

Metra yesterday opened a new station and warming shelter on the Union Pacific North Line in Cary, Illinois. 

The new facilities were built as part of a $3.3 million project to replace the original station structure built in 1942. Crews also replaced boarding platforms, Metra officials said in a press release.

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (SDMTS) logged a 6.5 percent increase in trolley ridership in the first quarter of its fiscal-year 2020, which began July 1. 

The increase lead the charge for the agency’s trolley and bus combined ridership to climb by nearly 1 million more passenger trips compared with Q1 of FY2019, SDMTS officials said in a press release. 

Six of nine public transportation-related ballot measures offered during Tuesday's elections passed, with one measure still undecided, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced yesterday.

The results follow a "long track record of success" for supporting transit at the ballot box. Over the past two decades, public transportation measures have won more than 70 percent of the time, APTA officials said in a press release.